The Daomen Miscellaneous House has one general steward, four deputy stewards, and sixteen chief stewards.
The "Old Li" who took me to the dormitory to report was named Li Chunhai and he was one of the chief chores.
To be precise, he is my immediate boss because I happen to be assigned to work under him.
This guy is in his early forties, with dark skin, cold eyes, and an arrogant attitude that is not easy to mess with.
As he walked, he shook his head and put his hands behind his back, showing off his "official air" and looking majestic.
"Here, this is your place to live. There are eight people in one room. Find an empty bunk for yourself."
"I will instruct my disciples to bring quilts, pillows, and your toiletries later."
Li Chunhai kicked open the dilapidated wooden door, pointed to the dim room in front and said: "New disciples don't have to work on the first day, but when the assembly bell rings tomorrow morning, you must appear in the team on time."
"One minute late and one whip, and I won't show mercy."
"Start work at six in the morning, have lunch at eleven. Continue working at twelve, and have dinner at seven."
"After dinner, it's your free time."
"Read, chat, sleep, whatever you want."
"But one thing you must remember is that the handyman disciples are not qualified to leave the handyman courtyard. Unless they are approved by the steward and deputy steward and given a pass."
"Leaving other areas without authorization is a violation of the house rules. The minor punishment may be ten lashes, and the basic salary of the month will be deducted. The severe punishment may be 30 lashes, and the person will be expelled from the mountain."
When Li Chunhai said this, he said with an evil expression: "Do you think that thirty lashes each one is not a big problem?"
"No, no, no, the Taoist sect's thirty lashes may not kill you. But they will definitely make you unable to take care of yourself for the rest of your life and make you a cripple."
"If you think your bones are strong enough, just try."
He shook his arm, put one hand on his hip and said, "By the way, every three months, you have a chance to visit relatives, limited to three days."
"Whether you go down the mountain and enjoy yourself, or stay on the mountain, it's up to you."
"As for the salary, it's three thousand per month."
After saying that, he turned around with a playful smile and left in a swaggering manner.
I stood at the door of the dark dormitory and walked in bravely.
Stinky, stinking to the sky.
The strong smell of salted fish came from the sour foot odor, accompanied by the pungent musty smell. I covered my mouth and nose and lit the oil lamp in the corner.
Eight bamboo plank beds are erected with bricks stacked at both ends.
The ground was black mud, and the ground was uneven.
A red lacquered wooden table and a rickety wardrobe.
Apart from these two things, there is not even a window for ventilation in the whole room, just like a cave.
Looking around, there are already five out of the eight beds with "famous flowers and owners", piled with greasy yellow bedding. I even saw a "little strong" playing unscrupulously, crawling very fast.
Under the bed, it was miserable.
Shoes, socks, plastic bags, cigarette butts, just like a small garbage dump, it is so dirty that it makes people feel sick.
Compared to the hotel-like treatment given to handyman disciples at Kunlun Headquarters, Taoism really opened my eyes.
Fortunately, the purpose of my coming here is not to "become an immortal", but to steal soul blood.
If I live here for a long time, I think I will be worse than dead.
Purely disgusting.
"Crunch."
The wooden door was pushed open, and a black shadow rushed in.
The man nodded and bowed, and said in a humble tone: "This, this senior brother, I am the new handyman disciple, my name is Zhou Laigui..."
Before he finished speaking, his voice suddenly changed, and he said with great joy: "Little brother, it turns out to be you."
"What a coincidence, I was also assigned to work here with Chief Li."